Dear Neighbors,
I hope you’ve had a wonderful first half of your summer and that you are staying as safe and as healthy as possible as wildfires continue across our state. This will be my last legislative update to you until after the November election. As always, it is an honor to represent you at the Capitol and I hope you have a joyful and safe summer.
Remembering Representative Karen Clark
Earlier this month former Minnesota State Representative Karen Clark passed away. Karen was a legend in the South Minneapolis community, serving in the legislature for almost four decades. Karen made a tremendous impact on our state through her work fighting for marriage equality, sustainable agriculture, environmental justice, and more.
On a personal note, I was lucky to get to know Karen over the past few years as we worked together to fight for funding for the Roof Depot project in the East Phillips neighborhood. I am so happy we were able to secure funding for the project this past legislative session, thanks in large part to Karen’s tireless advocacy. Karen was a mentor for me in how to do this work with tenacity and kindness, and I will miss seeing her at the Capitol and in community. I look forward to working together with neighbors and lawmakers to think about how we can honor and memorialize Karen’s legacy.
Thank you to Abhinav and Andy
This past session I was lucky to have a fabulous intern Abhinav help in my office. Abhinav supported our constituent services and worked on transportation policy. Hosting interns is a great way to allow young people to learn more about the legislative process. Learn more about the program here: https://www.house.mn.gov/sergeant/internship.
Additionally, many thanks to my legislative assistant Andy who helped so many constituents and advocates work with our office this past session. Andy is still working over the interim so please reach out to them if you’d like to get in contact with our office. Their email is andy.warriner@house.mn.gov.
Wild Fires
If you’ve looked out your window you have seen the terrible amount of smoke blanketing our city. Governor Walz has declared a peacetime emergency and deployed the national guard – which could last through September – to help combat the fires up north. All available resources are being deployed to help manage the situation. You can keep up to date on the air quality in our area here. The increasing intensity of fires like these is a direct result of climate change and if we want a smoke free future, we will need to take strong action to reverse climate change.
New Laws
On July 1st, many new laws from the 2026 legislative session took effect. Some highlights include helping schools establish anonymous threat reporting systems so students and families can safely report concerning behavior, implementing a mandatory social media mental health warning, and more. You can find a list of the new laws and summaries here. There will also be a new set of laws coming into effect on August 1st, so be sure to visit House Information services to learn about those!
Session Wins and Looking Ahead
While these laws will certainly do a lot of good, I can’t help but think about what we could have passed with a House majority: gun violence prevention, housing protections and affordability measures, protections against federal overreach, resources for our schools and so much more. In my conversations with you all it’s clear that your representatives must do more to make this economy work for hard working Minnesotans. I look forward to our continued work together to unrig the economy and build a better Minnesota for future generations.
Last Update for the Year
Lastly, I also wanted to let you know that this will be my final newsletter until November. Mid-July marks our 60-day deadline since the end of the legislative session, when Minnesota law requires unsolicited official communications to stop until after the 2026 election. This is so that an unfair advantage is not given to incumbents. As a result, this will likely be the last newsletter you receive from my office until later this year.
This is the only notable change - I want to emphasize that my office is available to constituents year-round to assist you with your needs. As always, you can reach me at 651-296-0173 or rep.samantha.sencer-mura@house.mn.gov. I look forward to hearing from you.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out anytime if you need assistance or have questions at rep.samantha.sencer-mura@house.mn.gov or 651-297-7087.
In community,
Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura
Minnesota House of Representatives